Talk Wisdom's goal is to defend the tenets and values of Biblical Christian faith. We defend our Constitutional Republic and Charters of Freedom, especially when speaking out against destructive social and political issues. As followers of our Savior and Lord, we should boldly stand up for Jesus Christ in our present circumstances. He is our Savior, Lord, and King, and His love needs to be shed abroad in our hearts and in our world – now.

Posts Tagged ‘evangelical Christians’

Last week, I was asked a question from someone of another religion what the term “evangelical” means. This young man could be labeled as someone who vehemently “dislikes” Donald Trump. He also self-identifies as “progressive” and if I were to venture a guess, would most likely vote for Hillary Clinton.

I gave a brief answer, but after reading an article from Christianity Today entitled Defining Evangelicals in an Election Year it seems to me that my more “simple” explanation may not have been enough. However, I have often found that if I get too “wordy” about it, people’s eyes glaze over and they could easily tune me out.

Evangelicals CAN and DO have a lot in common. However, as Rush Limbaugh pointed out (sometimes quite humorously!) on his radio show back on March 9, 2016, there is a Ruling Class Disconnect on Evangelicals.

Yet as a Christian minister he [Peale] denied that God was a being, saying “Who is God? Some theological being? He is so much greater than theology. God is vitality. God is life. God is energy. As you breathe God in, as you visualize His energy, you will be reenergized!” (Plus: The Magazine of Positive Thinking). As a Christian minister he told Phil Donahue, “It’s not necessary to be born again. You have your way to God, I have mine. I found eternal peace in a Shinto shrine … I’ve been to Shinto shrines and God is everywhere. … Christ is one of the ways! God is everywhere.” He denied the very heart of the Christian faith and replaced it with his doctrine of positive thinking.

When I was growing up, Peale could have possibly been labeled as that era’s Joel Osteen.

For me, relying on God’s Word, the Bible, His Living Word, Jesus Christ, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit is far better than man’s “power of positive thinking.” The first Three are eternal; man’s “power” is temporary.

Donald Trump revealed a lot about himself regarding his brand of Christianity. The following portion of the article is what stood out most for me.

Excerpt from The Theology of Donald Trump:

2. Sin. Trump reveals that many evangelicals have come to embrace a different idea of sin than evangelicals have in the past. First, sin is now seen less a condition that renders us all “miserable offenders” before a holy God than mistakes good people make that fail to contribute to “our best life now.” Card-carrying evangelicals should have gotten it when Trump announced that he has never asked God for forgiveness because he doesn’t really do anything that would require it. This is problematic from a Christian perspective on several levels.

First, even if we were to reduce sin (a condition) to sins, the latter no longer include multiple divorces, significant past support of the abortion industry, lack of any church membership, and unabashed dedication to a “Me First” ethic. Widespread evangelical support suggests that we’re fine with these practices now—they’re normal.

Second, and even more troubling, “sinners” are now apparently the “others” whose very presence makes us feel afraid and disenfranchised. Deflecting sin from ourselves to others, we have helped to provide a foundation for whatever demagogue can rally people “like us” to self-righteous anger against outsiders.

As the graphic at the top of the page demonstrates:

[When] it comes to statistical prediction, four belief statements in particular proved extremely helpful. We asked a representative sample of Americans whether they agree or disagree with the following statements:

1. The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe.

2. It is very important for me personally to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior.

3. Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin.

4. Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation.

Those who agreed with all four statements were also likely to self-identify as evangelicals, thus bridging the gap between belief and belonging. They also attend church on a regular basis—meaning these four questions about belief also correlate with behavior (church attendance).

Though there are many other factors or belief statements many evangelicals would include here, these four, taken together, create a tool that predicts all the other things evangelicals could include.

Those four belief statements are the Gospel of Christ! It is a good start when sharing who evangelicals are, and if a person wants more information, then we can share more details when they ask to hear more.

I also suggest having the Bible verses handy that support each of the statements. For example.

Number 1:

2Ti 3:16

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

2Ti 3:17

that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

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Number 2: Mar 16:15

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

Mar 16:16

“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

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Number 3: 1Jo 2:2

And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

1Jo 4:10

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

I often wonder why 0zero never chooses to call the mass killings of Christians that are happening in the Middle East and North Africa what they are – Christian massacres.

I read somewhere online that people were alarmed because on the 100th anniversary of the slaughter, 0zero said nothing to show sympathy for, or commemorate the Armenian Genocide of Christians in 1915.

Why is that?

Maybe I missed it?

It was quite disturbing to see 0zero use the annual Prayer Breakfast to criticize Christians of today for the Crusades which happened almost 1,000 years ago… yet neglected to tell the truth that it was the Muslim conquests and slaughter of Christians and Catholics that led them to defend themselvesat that time in history!

I have some questions.

Why does radical Islamic terrorism, and their murderous, raping of women, stoning and hanging of homosexuals, kidnapping of girls to be used as sex slaves and all the other atrocious ways of mayhem get a pass (e.g. refuses to label them “Islamic”); yet 0zero and his badministration continue to put down, criticize, show hatred towards and berate Christians?

What is wrong with this picture, people?

Enough already!

Why are Christians being bashed unendingly here in America while this badministration continues to ignore the atrocities being done against them in the name of the false “god” allah?

It all seems so Twilight zone-ish and surreal to me. No…that’s not the right description. It IS ALL SO TERRIBLY HORRENDOUS AND MORALLY EVIL!

I have never known any president of the U.S. to ever show such hatred towards Christians, back-stabbing our greatest ally in the Middle East – Israel – and even go so far as to try to do everything in his power to undermine the re-election of Benjamin Netanyahu because he probably (no…definitely) hates him!

Lately, I have noticed several blogs reporting on upcoming military exercises in certain areas of the United States. The “project” is entitled, “Jade Helm 15.” When an online search is done, over 2 million links show up! I usually like to link to blogs that I am familiar with. That is where I started my research. The details that I discovered on additional blogs, news stories and websites were everything from the typical line from the movie Animal House – “do not be alarmed – all is well” to downright fear that this military exercise (and the name of it) SHOULD be a great cause of concern for all Americans!

This is a Talk Wisdom Reports – You Decide post.

The most important links that I have seen (so far) are included in the list below. There is an excerpt from the final link. I encourage you to read them and then see what you think?!

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Yes! I know that the Before It’s News claim may be considered a wild one at best, crazy at its worst. But let’s give the website some credit for systematically telling us how they “got there” and why they don’t think it’s such a far fetched idea.

I sincerely hope and pray that they are wrong about their conclusions! I continue to pray, despite all of our grievous sins, that God’s Hand of mercy and grace remain upon us and will uphold this nation – even though we probably don’t deserve it.

Again…Talk Wisdom Reports…You Decide! Draw your own conclusions.

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Excerpts:

The present administration detests Christians and their actions speak clearly to this point.

Even Elements of the Mainstream Media Question Obama’s Inaction Against ISIS

Why won’t President Obama act to stop the slaughter of Christians in the Middle East by ISIS?

ISIS expanded its extermination of Christians to another country with the release of a video on Sunday purportedly showing a mass execution of Ethiopian Christians in Libya.

In her “Off the Record” commentary, Greta Van Susteren took President Obama to task for failing to act forcefully against the atrocities. Van Susteren words came just after the release of another gruesome video by ISIS, showing the beheadings of the Ethiopian Christians. Van Susteren said despite video proof of the atrocities as they happen, some want to “bury their head in the sand.” Van Susteren demanded that President Obama step forward and lead the “great nations” of the world in a fight to stop the killings of Christians by ISIS.

American Center for Law and Justice Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow has condemned Obama’s inaction against ISIS and their wholesale murders of Christians by asking “how many more Christians must be murdered at the hands of terror group ISIS before President Barack Obama decides to take specific action to stop the slaughter. It is unacceptable for President Obama, the West and the United Nations to stand idly by and watch the systematic elimination of Christians by radical Islamists.”

Muslims are only recognized by Obama in White House statements related to ISIS if they’re the victims. Christians and Jews are only recognized if they’re the perpetrators of violence. Rev. Graham raises the very sensible point when he recently stated “Can you imagine the outcry if 21 Muslims had been beheaded by Christians?”

Obama Is Allowing ISIS to Grow

In the U.S. large scale air campaign which has resulted in countless civilian casualties has been routinely misreported by the mainstream media. According to Max Boot, senior fellow in national security at the Council on Foreign Relations. ”Obama’s strategy in Syria and Iraq is not working… [ because] the U.S. bombing campaign against ISIS has been remarkably restrained”. (Newsweek, February 17, 2015). The liberal press can be so forgiving of Obama’s transgressions. Restrained? Obama’s inaction against ISIS constitutes material support for the terror organization. With each day that Obama does virtually nothing to stop ISIS, is another day Obama is allowing ISIS the opportunity to grow stronger and to kill even more Christians.

In the early days of ISIS, Obama had the chance to use F-16’s, F-35’s, A-10’s, bombers, etc., to totally destroy ISIS, but he didn’t, why not? Judicial Watch uncovered a double-sourced government document proving the existence of an ISIS camp eight miles from El Paso. Obama has done nothing. why not?

Obama Is Playing for the Other Side

The lack of inaction against ISIS parallels his excessively weak nuclear treaty with Iran which will ultimately allow the Iranians to gain the ability to launch nuclear weapons against Israel. Obama is allowing Iran to send weapons to Yemen.

Two years ago, Egyptian media claimed President Barack Obama is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). Leading the charge was Tahani al-Gebali, Vice President of the Supreme Constitutional Court in Egypt.

Americans Should Fear Obama

Nearly 70 percent of Americans say they lack confidence that the U.S. will achieve its goals in fighting the terrorist group ISIS, according to a recent poll. America should not merely question the leadership of Obama, they should question his loyalties. If you are a Christian, Obama, by omission or commission is your enemy and he has the pedigree to validate this statement.

As I have reported in the past, the President’s half brother, Malik Obama, is involved and is a leader in the distribution of arms both in Gaza and in Central America. Malik Obama is charge of weapons procurement and finances for the Muslim Brotherhood. President Obama has never disavowed his half brother’s actions.

In fact, Obama has been fermenting a Muslim Brotherhood takeover of the White House.

This is not about being a Muslim. This is about senior White House officials having strong ties to a terrorist organization, who in turn, have ties to ISIS.

Under Obama, the New Coptic Christians Are the American Christians

As Supreme Commander of the military, Obama has encouraged/permitted the United States military to participate in the persecution of Christians. A recent Army briefing was given by Lt. Col. Jack Rich to a reserve unit in Pennsylvania which identified several organizations and movements as extremist groups. First on the list of his slides presented in the briefing listed evangelical Christians including Catholics, which was subsequently followed by Hamas, al-Qaida, Nation of Islam and the Ku Klux Klan.

Lt. Col. Rich warned his subordinates to not back down from bad Christian behavior for “when they see behaviors which are inconsistent with Army values, don’t just walk by. Do the right thing before it becomes a problem.” Further, the warning has been given to flag Christians and put them on no buy lists for guns. Rich’s briefing dovetails with the same kind of anti-Christian rhetoric recently presented to Colorado law enforcement officials in La Junta, Colorado in whichChristians were prominently displayed in as domestic terrorists if they take the Bible too literally. And in the recent, so-called government shutdown, Christian military clergy were prohibited to minister to their flock during the shutdown or they faced court martial.

The Inspiration to Destroy Christians

Consider the following quote from David Spangler of the United Nations.

“No one will enter the New World Order unless he or she will make a pledge to worship Lucifer. No one will enter the New Age unless he will take a Luciferian Initiation.”

David Spangler, Director of Planetary Initiative, United Nations

Even Obama promises to build a kingdom on earth, not God’s kingdom, but his own kingdom.

These are the most frightening words ever spoken by a Chief Executive

Jade Helm In the Hands of Obama Is a Christian Genocide In the Making

Jade Helm is about dissident extractions. We have seen here, that the Obama administration considers Christians to be domestic terrorists. The Jade Helm infiltration techniques , planned to be implemented and spoken of by Jade Helm authorities, speak to the existence of death squads and the intention to use them. Jade Helm is about martial law and mass relocation. Given Obama’s past behavior toward Christians, all people of faith should fear for their lives. This administration has drawn a clear line in the sand against Christians.

15-The total control or elimination of religion

Yes x No

The Net Neutrality Act implemented by administrative fiat by the FCC has given the government complete power over over all media and ultimately all free speech.

Religion is in grave danger in this administration and the regulations of the Clergy Response Team clearly shows the intent of the federal government. At the time of citizen roundups, the decision has been made to eliminate Christianity as a viable and legal practice as evidenced by the revelations of Pastor Walt Mansfield who provided me with the details in an exclusive interview following his training with the Clergy Response Team. It is highly recommended that you read this article as it details that FEMA camps are real, the Pastor’s role in helping to maintain order within a FEMA camp and the fact that Christianity will not be allowed. Further, Pastor Mansfield revealed that Clergy Response Team pastors are required to spy on those that they minister to. Finally, Mansfield revealed that reading from the Bible is expressly forbidden because Christianity is a form of persecution.

The Bible

Click on image for Blue Letter Bible

Proverbs 2:2-5

"Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding; for if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding; if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will discern the fear of the LORD, and discover the knowledge of God"

About Christinewjc and this Talk Wisdom blog.

Married for 31 years to my wonderful husband! Two grown adult children and a son-in-law in whom we treasure and enjoy life.

Our family is very close and love to spend time with each other. We share a deep Christian faith, love for the Lord Jesus Christ and love for each other.

I earned a BA in education from Kean University in 1978. I have been studying the Bible for over 22 years and in 2003, upon successful completion of the course of study offered in the MA Lecture Series, earned a Christian Apologetics Certificate from Biola University.

This blog is named "Talk Wisdom" because one of the main purposes of writing here is to share the wisdom of God - the only absolute and true wisdom - that is contained within the Scriptures of the Bible. As a born-again Christian, it is my desire to heed and share Paul's encouragement and warnings in 2 Timothy 3:1-17

2 Timothy 3:16 - All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
2 Timothy 3:17 - that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Talk Wisdom's goal is to defend the tenets and values of Biblical Christian faith. We defend our Constitutional Republic and Charters of Freedom, especially when speaking out against destructive social and political issues. As followers of our Savior and Lord, we should boldly stand up for Jesus Christ in our present circumstances. He is our Savior, Lord, and King, and His love needs to be shed abroad in our hearts and in our world – now.

A quote to remember!

“We are to be obedient to God and that means we are to fight against sin. Talking about not judging and loving each other does not absolve us from our duty to correct and — if necessary — censure those who refuse to obey God’s laws. If this were the case, then God would have had no reason to even give us a law: He would have just said do not judge, just love and left it at that — but He did not do this. Instead, He told us to obey, and then gave us at least ten commands. If we love each other — Biblical love — then we will do everything we can to help each other keep those commands, not make it easier to break them. After all, how can we claim to love someone if we are in the process of making their path to hell easier to travel?”
~ Black3Actual from Oil For Your Lamp blog

Talk Wisdom's goal is to defend the tenets and values of Biblical Christian faith. We defend our Constitutional Republic and Charters of Freedom, especially when speaking out against destructive social and political issues. As followers of our Savior and Lord, we should boldly stand up for Jesus Christ in our present circumstances. He is our Savior, Lord, and King, and His love needs to be shed abroad in our hearts and in our world - now.

Faith in Jesus Christ is our response to God's elective purpose in our life. These two truths--God's initiative and man's response--co-exist throughout the Bible. The gospel is "the message of truth" because truth is its predominant characteristic. Salvation was conceived by the God of truth (Ps. 31:5); purchased by the Son, who is the truth (John 14:6); and is applied by the Spirit of truth (John 16:13). To know it is to know the truth that sets men free (John 8:32). Believers are people of the truth (John 18:37), who worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), and who obey the Word of truth (John 17:17). People have rejected, neglected, redefined, and opposed God’s truth for centuries. Some cynically deny that truth even exists or that it can be known by men (John 18:38). Others foolishly think that denying truth will somehow make it go away. Truth determines the validity of one's belief. Believing a lie doesn't make it true. Conversely, failing to believe the truth doesn't make it a lie. The gospel is true because Jesus is true, not simply because Christians believe in Him. His resurrection proved the truth of His claims and constitutes the objective basis of our faith (Rom. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:3). Truth is our protection and strength (Eph. 6:14). Throughout history, people have tried everything imaginable to gain favor with God. Most turn to religion, but religion apart from Christ is merely a satanic counterfeit of the truth. At the heart of every false religion is the notion that man can come to God by any means he chooses--by meditating, doing good deeds, and so on. But Scripture says, "There is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). That name is Jesus Christ, and we come to Him by confessing and repenting of our sin, trusting in His atoning death on the cross, and affirming His bodily resurrection from the grave (cf. Rom. 10:9-10). There is no other way to God. False religious leaders and teachers talk much about God’s love, but not His wrath and holiness; much about how deprived of good things people are, but not about their depravity; much about God’s universal fatherhood toward everyone, but not much about his unique fatherhood toward all who believe in His Son; much about what God wants to give to us, but nothing about the necessity of obedience to Him; much about health and happiness, but nothing about holiness and sacrifice. Their message is full of gaps, the greatest of which leaves out a biblical worldview of the saving gospel and replaces it with the worldview of postmodernism with its dominant ethical system of relativism. The Bible describes mankind in the end times: “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 3:7). Spiritual answers cannot be deduced by human reason alone (1 Cor. 2:14). It’s not that spiritual truth is irrational or illogical, but that human wisdom is defective, because it’s tainted by man’s sinfulness, and unable to perceive the things of God. That is why the Bible is so important. It gives us the answers we can’t find on our own. It is God’s Word to mankind. Scripture is divinely revealed truth that fills the vacuum of spiritual ignorance in all of us. Post-truth is the word of the year for 2016 and also the philosophy of the day, According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. In a “post-truth” world, people make choices based on emotion and experience rather than objective fact. So in a post-truth world, truth is irrelevant. What exactly is a post-truth culture? It’s a culture where truth is no longer an objective reality. It has become subjective. It’s what’s true for me—my beliefs, my opinions, determine my truth. So in our post-truth culture, man determines truth. Man makes himself the ultimate authority. This starting point, which rejects God’s Word and the idea of moral absolutes, makes truth subjective. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Christianity is grounded in objective truth. “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Objective truth exists because we have God’s Word. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Thy word is truth” (John 17:17), and Paul and James describe the Bible as “the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15; James 1:18). The Psalmist says, “The entirety of your word is truth” (Psalm 119:160). Jesus Himself said, “For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (John 18:37). When Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except by me” (John 14:6), He wasn’t expressing His personal belief or opinion. He was speaking the truth, a fundamental reality that doesn’t change from person to person. It doesn’t matter if our culture thinks all roads lead to God. The truth of the matter is “no one comes to the Father but by [Jesus].” This blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." - George Orwell

"Our threat is from the insidious forces working from within which have already so drastically altered the character of our free institutions — those institutions we proudly called the American way of life. " -- Gen. Douglas MacArthur